NMA demands MoU as FG okays N25,000 doctors allowance

The payment of a N25,000 peculiar allowance for medical and dental professionals working in federally funded hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities was approved by the federal government on Thursday.

A letter titled “Accoutrement allowance for medical and dental doctors in hospitals, medical centres, and clinics in federal MDAs” dated July 26, 2023, made this disclosure.

However, despite being appreciative that the government had taken action regarding one of their agreements, the Nigerian Medical Association, led by Dr. Uche Ojinmah, said that the association was still waiting for the full implementation of the agreements they had.

The Federal Government has approved the payment of an accoutrement allowance of N25,000 per quarter to medical and dental doctors working in hospitals, medical facilities, and clinics within the federal public service, according to a letter that was released on Thursday. The budget for overhead is to be used to pay the allowance.

“As of June 1, 2023, the approval is in force. Please contact the commission with any questions regarding this circular.

The NMA President responded, however, in an interview, saying, “The fundamental thing is that we are still studying it because what we agreed upon with them was 25% and 35% for salary and allowance, with the exception of hazard allowance, which was recently reviewed upward; however, what we saw was only for salary, and we are unsure of whether allowances are covered or not.

“While we are grateful that they have already begun acting morally, we anticipate that they will finish doing so. As with the previous administration, there should be no disagreements. The intended start date was January 2023. Although it is agreed that every rise in pay is for salary and benefits, what we have observed is salary. Therefore, we are awaiting compensation and will announce our position by the following week.